View all text of Part III [§ 2401 - § 2429b]

§ 2420. Police training prohibition
(a) Effective date of prohibition

On and after July 1, 1975, none of the funds made available to carry out this chapter, and none of the local currencies generated under this chapter, shall be used to provide training or advice, or provide any financial support, for police, prisons, or other law enforcement forces for any foreign government or any program of internal intelligence or surveillance on behalf of any foreign government within the United States or abroad.

(b) Exception; qualification
Subsection (a) of this section shall not apply—
(1) with respect to assistance rendered under section 515(c) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968,1
1 See References in Text note below.
with respect to any authority of the Drug Enforcement Administration or the Federal Bureau of Investigation which relates to crimes of the nature which are unlawful under the laws of the United States, or with respect to assistance authorized under section 2291a of this title;
(2) to any contract entered into prior to December 30, 1974, with any person, organization, or agency of the United States Government to provide personnel to conduct, or assist in conducting, any such program;
(3) with respect to assistance, including training, in maritime law enforcement and other maritime skills;
(4) with respect to assistance provided to police forces in connection with their participation in the regional security system of the Eastern Caribbean states; or 2
2 So in original. The word “or” probably should appear at end of par. (6).
(5) with respect to assistance, including training, relating to sanctions monitoring and enforcement;
(6) with respect to assistance provided to reconstitute civilian police authority and capability in the post-conflict restoration of host nation infrastructure for the purposes of supporting a nation emerging from instability, and the provision of professional public safety training, to include training in internationally recognized standards of human rights, the rule of law, anti-corruption, and the promotion of civilian police roles that support democracy;
(7) with respect to assistance provided to customs authorities and personnel, including training, technical assistance and equipment, for customs law enforcement and the improvement of customs laws, systems and procedures.
Notwithstanding clause (2), subsection (a) shall apply to any renewal or extension of any contract referred to in such paragraph entered into on or after December 30, 1974.
(c) Country with longstanding democratic tradition, etc.

Subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to a country which has a longstanding democratic tradition, does not have standing armed forces, and does not engage in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.

(d) Assistance to Honduras or El Salvador

Notwithstanding the prohibition contained in subsection (a) assistance may be provided to Honduras or El Salvador for fiscal years 1986 and 1987 if, at least 30 days before providing assistance, the President notifies the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, in accordance with the procedures applicable to reprogramming notifications pursuant to section 2394–1 of this title, that he has determined that the government of the recipient country has made significant progress, during the preceding six months, in eliminating any human rights violations including torture, incommunicado detention, detention of persons solely for the nonviolent expression of their political views, or prolonged detention without trial. Any such notification shall include a full description of the assistance which is proposed to be provided and of the purposes to which it is to be directed.

(Pub. L. 87–195, pt. III, § 660, as added Pub. L. 93–559, § 30(a), Dec. 30, 1974, 88 Stat. 1803; amended Pub. L. 99–83, title I, § 127(b), title VII, § 711, Aug. 8, 1985, 99 Stat. 205, 243; Pub. L. 101–513, title V, § 594, Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 2060; Pub. L. 104–107, title V, § 540A(d), Feb. 12, 1996, 110 Stat. 737; Pub. L. 106–113, div. B, § 1000(a)(2) [title V, § 574], Nov. 29, 1999, 113 Stat. 1535, 1501A–111.)